Cloth drying apparatus



Feb. 27, 1934.

c. MALEET CLOTH DRYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 22, 1930INVENbOR BY vb Mid/6' 2 W ATT RNEY.S

Feb. 27, 1934.

Filed Sept. 22, 1930 c. MALFET 1,948,767

CLOTH DRYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 27, 1934. LF T 1,948,767

CLOTH DRYING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 j I-1mm 3INVENTOR Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ApplicationSeptember 22, 1930 Serial No. 483,403

2 Claims.

This invention relates to drying apparatus as used in treating textilefabrics, in piece lengths, by causing evaporation of superfluousmoisture.

In the treatment of cloth in general and irrespective of its fibers, assilk, rayon, wool, ramie cotton or their combinations, and also itsfabrication, as tightly woven, open mesh, long nap, pile, tufted, etc;etc., it is usually subjected to certain operations whereby its color,texture and weight are affected; as by fulling, shrinking, weighting,bleaching, dyeing and the like, during which the cloth is saturated andthe liquids used partially absorbed, due to its immersion in vatscontaining the solutions.

In order to expedite the further operations, it is desirable to expelthe excess moisture in the fabric by vaporization effectively, rapidlyand uniformly.

Various types of devices have hitherto been used for this purpose, suchfor instance as passing the goods over a highly heated rotating cylinderor drum, a fixed muffle, electrically heated coils or bars and open gasfurnaces and it is to the latter type that the invention is directed.

To those familiar with the art it is well known that the step infinishing woven fabrics, known as drying, consists in tautly stretchingthe wet piece goods, as by automatically engaging its opposite edgeswith tentering devices carried on travelling conveyor chains movedusually horizontally over a frame of very considerable length at auniform rate; of speed.

In, the present embodiment a series of tubular gas burners aredisposedtransversely below the path of the goods in such manner that the heatfrom the flames. causes the-excess moisture to vaporize and becomedissipated in the atmosphere. It is also possible to use the apparatusfor singeing filaments and fibers protruding from the cloth in aneffective manner.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an apparatus in whichthe fuel gas used is delivered under a constant predetermined pressureand mixed with aproper proportion of air to insure nearly perfectcombustion.

A further feature is in the provision of means, including a motor drivenpump, for compressing and delivering gas to the burners only when themotor is in actuation, the gas supply being closed when the motor isstopped, and remote controls for the motor placed for convenience of anoperator. a

Another purpose is to produce a series of burners, each independentlyadjustable as to distance from the fabric, provided with a central pilotlight burner fed from a separate source of gas V supply and arranged toburn at full capacity only when the motor is stopped, its flame becomingreduced and blended with the main burner flames upon their gas supplybecoming ignited to operative limit.

A characteristically valuable feature is to pro- ,.vide means to preventany possibility of the pilot and ease of adjustment, and particularlythe low cost of operation, due to the direct but safe application ofheat, are attained by the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the,accompanying drawings, constituting a material part of this disclosure,and in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional cloth dryingmachine, largely diagrammatic, and showing an embodiment of the invcntion as applied.

v Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a gas apparatus having a seriesof four burners drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a plan View of the same.

Figure 4 is an end elevational View of the apparatus, showing itsposition relative to the fabric undergoing operation, parts being brokenaway to show the structure of certain of its 15 provided with bearingsadapted to rotatably,

receive a spindle 16 on which is coiled the fabric C to be treated.

The edges of the cloth are automatically engaged by tentering clamps 1'?carried at short distances apart on endless conveyor chains guided byhorizontal trackways 18 extending lengthwise at the tops of spacedframes, constituting the side members of the machine, the cloth beingreleased to pass around rolls 19-19, carried on stands 20 at the frontor delivery end of the machine, and delivered to be coiled on a rollspindle 21 removably journalled in bearings at the front of the stands.

The foregoing is briefly descriptive of the general type of dryingmachine with which the heating apparatus is used, but forms no part ofthe invention and is given, together with Figure 1, to show theirrelative proportions and relation.

The heating apparatus is preferably located midway of the length of thedrying machine and directly below the path of the cloth, which maytravel at an average speed of approximately 500 feet per minute,depending on the character of the goods, moisture contained in thefibers and results to be accomplished.

Each heating element, of which one or more, preferably four as shown,may be used consists of a hollow standard 25, having an enlarged base,its upper portion being bored to receive a tubular support 26 having aclamp 27 by which the height of the support may be adjusted.

A packing gland 28, filling a counter bore in the upper part of the mainbore, is provided with extending flanges 28 through which pass bolts 29also passing through corresponding flanges 25, to compress packingdisposed around the body of the support, maintaining a gas tight joint.

At the upper end of the support is a head 30 bored at a right angle tothe support to receive and firmly hold a tube 32 which may slightlyexceed in length the width of the cloth C.

The head 30 and tube 32 contain communicating passages open to theinterior of the support A laterally extending projection 33 on the headssupports a small bent tube 34, one end of which is directed downwardlyadjacent the support and the other end curved to reach over the uppersurface of the tube 32 where it is provided with a small burner 35constituting a pilot light.

Set in a longitudinal slot in the tube 32 is a metallic ribbon 36provided with a multiplicity of fine perforations to act as burneropenings when supplied with gas, which upon issuing is lit by the pilotlight.

Both ends of the burner tube 32 are hermetically closed and mounted onthe tube, near its ends, are split clamp collars 37, the upper elementsof which are provided with pairs of divergent arms 38 having betweenopposed pairs, guard rods 39, disposed above and out of the path offlame rising from the burners 36.

Above the bases of the standards 25 are opposed bosses 40 having throughopenings 41, the bosses being drilled and tapped to receive pipes 42rigidly connecting the several standards in spaced relation, the endstandards having at their outer bosses caps 4344, the latter beingsupplied with an inlet pipe 45 connected by a union with the sideopening in a reducer T 46 on a main gas supply pipe 4'7.

Set in each of the pipes 42, near one end, is a nipple leading to avalve 48 and connected to the valve is a gas hose or flexible tube 49leading to the down turned end of the pilot light tube 33 by which itsburner is supplied with gas direct from the main supply source, eachindependently of the others and provided with an individual controlvalve.

The average pressure of gas from its supply source, as a city main, isapproximately 1 pounds per square inch, and while ample for the pilotlights, is insufficient for the main burners which, in order to obtainthe best results, should be at an average of 2 pounds per square inch.

It is therefore necessary to raise the pressure which is thusaccomplished; in the main through opening of the 'T 46 is a pipe 50leading to a pump 51 coupled direct with a motor 52 fixed on a platform53, preferably to one side of but closely adjacent the machine.

Here the gas pressure is raised by means of the pump controlled by adiaphragm device 54, the pressure being adjusted to suit by a lever 55,carrying adjustable weights 56, and delivered to a booster 57.

A pipe provided with a cock 61. leads from the booster to a header orgas distributor pipe 62, preferable at the center of its length, and setin the header, at points opposite the several standards 25, are servicepipes 63 provided with valves 64, while at one end of the pipe 62 is apressure gage 65, showing the fluctuations in gas pressure.

The end portions 63 of the pipes 63, are conically expanded and theirextremities are threaded to engage in bosses 66 in the standards, atright angles and above the bosses 40, to communicate with chambers 67,closed from the openings 41, but open to the plungers 26.

Adjustable vents 68 are provided on the pipes 63 for the admission ofatmospheric air drawn in by the passing gas current to be mixedtherewith on the way to the main burners 36.

It is to be understood that the motor pump, booster and fittings arecommercial articles and that their specific construction form no part ofthe present invention.

The motor is controlled by push button switches arranged in series,convenient to the operator, as at 70'71, on the stands 15-20 asindicated in figure l, and it will be comprehended that when the motoris stopped the gas current flowing through pipes 6062 ceases andtherefore the burners 36 cease to emit flames; at the same time, due tothe virtual closing of the pipe 50, the pressure is increased in thepipes 42, causing the pilot burners 35 to produce maximum flames.

Obviomly upon starting the motor the pressure of gas leading to thepilot burners is reduced so that a low flame is maintained, andcoincidently the pressure of gas in the pipes 62-62, standards 25,plungers 26 and main burner tubes 32 is boosted to the extent required,the pressure being ascertained by the gage 65.

The inrushing current of gas through the pipes 63 sucks in air throughthe inlet 68 where it is intimately mixed with the gas in the expandedelements 63 and chambers 67, the mixture beingdelivered to the burners36, there to issue and become ignited by the pilot flames.

It may be noted that the apparatus described has demonstrated itsefiiciency and at a reduction of gas consumed amounting to 35% of thequantity used in other devices for similar purposes.

The path of the cloth C is maintained at a fixed height by the dryingmachine but the burners may be adjusted by the clamps 27 as to the distancebelow the cloth to suit varying conditions.

Should a break occur in the cloth, or any portion become loosened fromthe tenter clamps, it will ride over the rods 39 without becomingdamaged and as the motor may be instantly stopped, and hence gas to theburners, no material injury can occur to the goods, furthermore, andvery important, is the fact that during the operation of the mainburners, the pilot below is so low that no perceptible smoke issues tosmudge the fabric.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive andillustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative oi theinvention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed includingmany modifications without departing from the general scope hereinindicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cloth drying machine, a gas supply pipe having independentconnections extending from one end thereof, a series of hollow standardseach having a partition therein dividing the same into upper and lowertubular chambers, pipe sections slidably mounted in the upper chamberand extending thereabove, tubular burners carried by said sections, saidburners having a single straight row of orifices, pilots carried on saidburners centrally of the row of orifices, tubular sections rigidlyconnecting the base of the standards and communicating therethrough,said tubular sections being in communication with one connection on saidgas supply pipe, means connecting the other of said independent gasconnections to the upper chamber in each of the standards, and flexibleconnections between said tubular sections and the pilots.

2. In a cloth drying apparatus, a gas supply pipe having independentconnections at one end, a series of hollow standards each having atransverse partition therein to divide the same into upper and lowerchambers, tubular supports slidably mounted in the upper chamber toextend thereabove, means to adjust the height of'the extending portions,tubular burners carried by said supports, said burners having a singlestraight row of orifices, pilots carried by said burners centrally ofthe row of orifices, tubular elements rigidly connecting the bases ofsaid standards and communicating therethrough, said tubular elementsbeing in communication with one connection on said gas supply pipe, andmeans connecting the other of said independent connections to the upperchamber in each of the standards, flexible connections between saidtubular elements and the pilots, said connecting means including abooster pump.

CAMIEL MALFET.

